Refrigerator.



No. 698,453. Patented Apr. 29, |902.

A. DE CLAIRMUNT.

HEFRIGERATUB.

(Application led Aug 30, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Patented Apr. 29, m02.i

A. DE CLAIRMONT.

' REFRIGERATUB.

1 Appmcion filed Aug. so. 1901.) (No Model.) 2 sheets-sher 2.

. 1| .n l llmm-IIIIIIIIlv UNITED STATES y PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLFO DEOLAIRll/IONT, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO T.D. HUMPHREYS, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,453, dated April29, 1902. r

Application tiled August 30,1901. Serial No. 73.811. CNG model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ADOLFO DE CLAIRMONT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators; and I dohereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

The primal object of this invention .is a rareiied-air space indouble-walled structures to greatly retard the passage of heat and cold.1 In refrigeratorconstruction a saving of about fifty per cent.` of iceresults, which is of material advantage.

heating, and in warm weather the house or building is rendered `coolerthan would be possible if no obstacle were interposed to the penetrationof heat-rays. Refrigerator-cars and like cold-storage carriers areenabled to have the storage capacity for provisions increased comparedwith similar transporting structures of like size as generally provided.Less ice being required, the weight of the refrigerators is diminished.Hence a saving of energy and propulsive power results. The space betweenthe walls must be hermetically sealed, and the air isV exhaustedtherefrom to a practicable degree by means of a pump or othercontrivance.

While the vital feature of a rarelied atmosphere in the space of hollowwalls is paramount, yet the invention contemplates the novel structuralfeatures which hereinafter will be more fully described and claimed andwhich are illustrated in the annexed drawings, in whichl Figure l is aperspective view of a refrigerator embodying the invention, a portion ofone of the sides being broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan section. Fig. 3 isa`detail view showing more clearly the hinge connection between a doorand a side of the refrigerator, whereby communication is establishedbetween these par-ts. Fig. 4 is a section about on the line X X of Fig.3. Fig. 5 is adetail view showing the valve-controlled port between thespacesof adjacent walls.

In house and like con-` struction fuel is saved in cold weather for Fig.6` is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 4 with the door thrown open, soas to bring the passages of the hinge members into register. Fig. 7 is aperspective view of a hollow glass panel or light. Fig. 8 is a sectionof the saidV 55 panel.

Corresponding and like parts are referred 4to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

While the invention is illustrated in connection with a refrigerator, itis to be understood that it is designed for general use in connectionwith structures of any kind having hollow or double walls.

The refrigerator shown is of the type commonly employed for domesticpurposes, its top, front, back, bottom, and sides being hollow andaccess being had thereto by means of the door l, leading to theprovision-cham- 7o ber, and the door 2, opening into theice-compartment. These doors are likewise hollow. The space inclosedbetween the several walls of the sides and doors of the refrigerator ishermetically sealed, and the air is exhausted 7 5 therefrom by means ofa valved nipple or pipe, such as commonly employed in pneumatic devices,the valve opening outward instead of inward. For convenience inexhausting the air from the several parts of the re- 8o frigerator orstructure a single nipple or pipe 3 is provided and convenientlylocated, being applied to the back of the refrigerator in the presentinstance. The top, bottom, and sides have communication with the back,and the front may be in communication with any one of the sides. Valves4, of any design or make, are employed for controlling communicationbetween the several air-spaces of the structure, so that after the airhas been exhausted 9o the several walls lnay be isolated, therebypreventing the admission of air into the spaces of all the walls shoulda defect or leak exist in any one of the walls. The hollow spaces of thedoors l and 2 are in communication g 5 with the hollow spaces of thewalls to which they are attached through the hinges, which are formedwith passages. Obviously within the purview of the invention any meansmay be provided which will establish communicaroo tion between the doorsand the parts to which they are hinged. The hinges are preferred,

since they obviate the necessity of providing independent means forestablishing communication between the doors and part to which they areattached. The hinge member 5 is provided with the pintle 6, and apassage 7 is formed therein. The` hinge member 8 is formed with theAsleeve 9, which fits over the pintle 6 and has a passage l0, which is incommunication with the air-space of the part to which the member 8 isattached. NVhen the hinge members are extended, as shown in Figs. 3 and4, the passages 7 and 10 are out of register and communication betweenthe space of the door and the space of the part to which the door ishinged is interrupted.'

When the door is thrown open to the limit of its movement, asindicatedin Fig. 6, the passages 7 and lO are brought in register andcommunication between the door and the part Vthe same time.

to which the door is hinged is established. It seldom happens inordinary usage that the door is thrown back against the part to which itis hinged. Hence normally communication between the door and part towhich the door is hinged is cut off. Vhen it is required to exhaust theairfrom the walls of the refrigerator, the valves 4 are opened and thedoors are thrown back to the limit of their movement, thereby admittingof exhaustion of the air from all parts of the refrigerator at one andAfter the air has been exhausted the several spaces of the walls anddoors are isolated by closing the valves 4 and by closing or partlyclosing the doors. The ends of the passages 7 and 10 bordering upon thehinge-joint are extremely narrow. Hence a slight movement of the doorsuffices to throw the passages 7 and IO out of register. The pintle 6being tapering and the sleeve 9 of a corresponding taper and the partsiitted by a ground joint, leakage at the joint between the hinge membersis obviated.

The door l, leadinginto the provision-chamber, is provided with a glasspanel or light l1, which is hollow, the air being exhausted fromthespace. Thispanelorlightmaybeapplied to any side of the refrigeratoror may be used in structures generally and is admirably adapted forpassenger-cars and buildings. By having the air exhausted from the spacethe vision is not obstructed and the presence 6o of the brace is notperceptible. Y

I-Iaving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is l. In astructure having hollow walls from which the air is adapted to beexhausted, a 65 valvecontrolled com munication between said walls forisolating the same after the vacuum has been created, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

2. A refrigerator or like structure having 7o hollow walls from whichair is adapted to be exhausted by application of a pump to a side orwall of the structure, and valve-controlled communications between thespaces of the several walls to admit of each being isolated 75 afterexhaustion of the air, substantially as set forth.

3. In a structure having a hollow wall and ahollow door, a hingeconnection between the door and wall, and hinge members having 8,0

passages in comm unication with,respectively, the wall and the door,said passages being normally out of register to interruptcommunicationbetweenv the hollow spaces of the wall and door and adapted to bebrought into co- 85 incident relation by throwing the door open to thelimit of its movement, substantially as set forth.

4. A hollow glass panel or window-light having the air exhaustedtherefrom and hav- 9o ing a transparent brace attached at its ends toopposite walls of said hollow glass panel, substantially as set forth.`

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLFO DE cLAIRMoNT.

Witnesses: 1

H. C. POHLMAN, ANNA POHLMAN.

